Can-washing machine.



P. H. McCUE &1. R. NI'CHOLS.

CAN WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IIIAII. 2|. I9I6.

1,206,120. Patented Nov. 28,1916.

Il 1 I wr?" ig I ll IV f I Q Pf3: .i "5 En -IIEIIII Il I e- I f L! T21 s; I Lv m E ll I il! EN III Jose/b5 19; /Yic/zqld 'NTTED STATES PATENT onirica PETER H. macon AND JOSEPHl n. NICHOLS, or SEATTLE, WAsSHrNeToN.

CAN-WASHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 21, 1916. Serial No. 85,728.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, PETER H. MCCUT: and JOSEPH R. N'rcHoLs, citizens of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the ,countyof King and State of Washington,

- employed in canneries for washing cans that have been filled with food products and sealed, to prepare such cans for the nal operation of placing` labels thereon, and the object of our invention is to provide a canwashing machine which shall be simple 1n its plan of construction and eiiicient 1n `1ts operation, and whichshall be adapted auto` matically to operate to cause cans successively to roll over the top of a tank that contains a cleansing fluid, throughoutl the length thereof, and subject their surfaces to the cleansing eii'ect of numerous jets of said cleansing iiuid during their travelover said tank, said jets of said cleansing fluid being produced by theV operation of a pump connected with a system of circulating pipes associated 'with said tank whereby the saidcleansing fluid may be repeatedly used. We accomplish this object by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view o a can-washing machine embodying our invention as it appears with its cover removed; Fig. 2 is a view of the same in vertical section' on broken line a2, a: of Fig. 1, as it appears with its cover in place; Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the upper portionof the intake end of the structure shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in cross-section, on broken line y, Vy of parts of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings throughout which like reference numerals indicate like parts, Figs. 1 and 2 show an oblong `tank comprising a bottom wall 5, two vertical side walls 6 and 7 rone vertical end wall 8 and another oppositely disposed vertical end wall 9, said tank being covered by a hood 10 of semi-circular cross-section, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3, said hoodvlO being open at both'of its ends. l v

As indicated by the several broken lines 11 in Fig. 2, the tank is nearly filled with a cleansin fluid made of water and suitable chemca and two bars 12 and 13 of angle iron, spacedhfrom -.each other, to' form a trackway for cans, are disposed tov extend over the top edge of the end wall 8, thence over the surface of said cleansing duid t0 and over the 'top vedge of the end wall 9 where they may connect with a chute or conveyer, not shown, into which cans may be delivered, said bars 12 and 13 being secured to brackets 14 and 15 which are secured to the Hanged top edges of the end walls 8 and 9 respectively.

The brackets 14 and 15 are each provided with shaft-bearings 16 and 17 respectively, within which are rotatably disposed shafts 18 and 19, respectively. The shaft 19 is also provided with additional bearings 20 and 21 that are secured to the flanged top edges of the side walls 6 and 7 respectively, said shaft 19 being of `a-length to project its ends through and beyond said bearings 20'and 21, as shown more clearly in Fig. 1, and mounted securely on that end ortion of said shaft 19 thatprojects out o the bearing 20 is a .driving pulley 22 which may be driven by a belt, not shown, which may connect with -suitable motive power, said shaft 19 may be rotated. l

Upon each of the shafts18 and 19 issecurely mounted a sprocket wheel, as sprocket Patented Nov. 28, i916.. j

wheels 23 and 24 respectively, both of which sprocket wheels 23 and 24 are thus adapted to revolve in vertical planes with their perpheries intersecting a plane that is, adjacent to the plane of the topsurface ofthe trackway formed by the bars 12 and 13. Securely mounted .on said sprocket wheels 23 and 24 is an 'endless sprocket chain 25 which is provided with a plurality of flights 26 which are spaced from each other for a distance suitable to permit a can to be interposed between adjacent ones of them, said flights 26 being disposed to project from the outer side of said sprocket chain 25 thereby to adapt them to project upwardly between the trackway bars 12 and 13 to a point above the tops thereof whereby they may engage with the sides of cylindrically formed cans that may be disposed to roll on top of said trackway bars 12 and 13; thus, when the .pulley 22 is rotated in a clockwise direction the sprocket wheel 24 will revolve to actuate the sprocket chain 25 and cause it to move ico its attached flights `26 between the trackway disposed in the lower portion of the side wall 6, and said passageway 28 is connected by a pipe 29 with the suction inlet passageway of a force pump 30 whose delivery outlet passageway-is connected by a pipe 31 t'o branch fittings 32 which have'four branch connectors'33, 34 35 and 36, within which are adjustably disposed the terminals respectively of pipes 37, 38, 39 and 40.

`The branch fitting 32 is disposed adjacent to the top of the end wall 8 at the can receiving lend of the tank so that the pipes 39 and 40 may extend therefrom, each in a course adjacent to and parallel with the trackway formed by bars 12 and 13 to the opposite end of the tank, and each in such position andat such distance from said trackway as will adapt them to serve' as guides for cans, as cans 27 moving on said trackway as more clearly shown in Fig. 4, said pipes 39 and 40 being adjustably supported in their positions by arms 41 that are adjustably attached to brackets 42 which are fastened to the trackway bars 12 and 13.

The pipes 39 and 40 are provided with rows of small holes through that side of each of them which -is next to the path of cans moving on said trackway, through which holes cleansing fluid may be projected with great force against the ends of adjacent cans, in response to the operation of the pump 30.

The pipes 37 and 38, which are adjustably connected respectively with the branches 33 and 34, extendv to the distant end of the tank each in a parallel course above thev path' over which cans roll on the trackway formed by bars 12 and 13, and said pipes 37 and 38 are adjustably maintained in their respective positions by arms 43 and 44 which are adjustabl attached to the upper end portions of the rackets 42, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4; and each ofl said pipes 37 and 38 is provided with a row of small holes, which holes extend through its wall in positions to direct jets of water downwardly on to cans 27 as such cans 27 roll over the bars 12 and 13, which jets of water will be emitted in response to the operation of the pump 30.

A drain cock 45 is disposed to extend through the bottom wall 5 of the tank whereby said tank `may be readily emptied for the purpose of cleaning it.

Disposed to extend through the end wall 9 is a valve controlled pipe 46 which extends into the tank to a point near the middle of the length thereof, said inlet pipe 46 within the tank being provided with numerous holes, as holes 47, through its walls, whereby steam may.l be introduced into the tank to cause such cleansing fluid to be heated to a desired temperature.

The operation of themachine may be described as follows: Cans, as cans 27, are fed successively on to the trackway at its canreceiving end to roll on the trackway bars 12 and 13 while guided by the pipes 39 and 40 till they reach the point where successive ones of said cans 27 will be engaged by successive ones of the flights 26 of the sprocket chain 25 in response to the rotation of the sprocket wheels 23 and 24, and thereby be caused to roll over its path to the delivery end of said trackway bars 12 and 13 in an obvious manner; and during the travel of said cans 27 over saidtrackway bars 12 and 13 the force pump 30 is actuated to pump the cleansing fluid from the bottom portion ofV the tank through the strainer-covered passageway 28 to` force such cleansing iuid through the pipe 31 into the branch ittings 32, thence into the pipes 37, 38, 39 and 40 from which pipes jets of the cleansing iuid are emitted with great force, through the rows of holes which are provided in their sides adjacent to theI moving cans 27 to impinge against the revolving surfaces of said cans 27 to dislodge dirt from every part thereof, in an obvious manner, the extreme ends of all the pipes 37, 38, 39 and 40 being closed with a cap as shown.

Manifestly, changes may be made in the forms, dimensions and arrangement of parts of our invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

What we claim is: v

1. A can washing machine of the class described including a tank, a trackway positioned in said tank, a movable conveyer associated with said trackway, U-shaped brackets carried by said trackway, arms adjustably mounted on said brackets, spray pipes carried by said arms, and pumping mechanism for feeding fluid from the tank to said pipes.

2. A can washing machine of the class described inoluding a tank, a trackway carried thereby, U-shaped brackets iixed to said trackway, arms having threaded ends engaging the brackets, sockets formed in the inner ends of said arms, and spray, pipes mounted in the sockets.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 15th day of March A. D.,

PETER H. MCCUE. JOSEPH R. NICHOLS.

Witnesses: Y

O. JOHNSON, FRANK WARREN. 

